The community forestry program in Cameroon: a participatory management option?

Plans have been underway since 1994 to increase the participation of local communities in the management of Cameroon's forest resources through a community forestry programme. This paper critically examines the legal and institutional foundations of the programme and finds it to be greatly deficient...

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Autor principal: Nforti, N.C.
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: 2000
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/18330
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author Nforti, N.C.
author_browse Nforti, N.C.
author_facet Nforti, N.C.
author_sort Nforti, N.C.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Plans have been underway since 1994 to increase the participation of local communities in the management of Cameroon's forest resources through a community forestry programme. This paper critically examines the legal and institutional foundations of the programme and finds it to be greatly deficient. Among the problems found are that the programme: (1) does not relinquish control over land including forest land; (2) retains unilateral decision making power over the use of forest resources; (3) imposes high financial costs for community participation; (4) is characterised by contradictions; (5) does not sufficiently divulge basic information about community forestry as a legal option; and (6) introduces management entities which are not adapted to local conditions. This paper argues that the entrenchment and perpetuation of State supremacy over land and forest resources, by successive land tenure and forestry sector reforms, constitutes a formidable obstacle to participatory management of forest resources. It recommends that, through a system of institution specific design, the land laws should be reformed in the direction of recognition of indigenous land rights and local communities given a real stake in the resources of community forests and recognised as fully-fledged partners in their management.
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spelling CGSpace183302025-01-24T14:20:03Z The community forestry program in Cameroon: a participatory management option? Nforti, N.C. forest resources local people community forestry community involvement management Plans have been underway since 1994 to increase the participation of local communities in the management of Cameroon's forest resources through a community forestry programme. This paper critically examines the legal and institutional foundations of the programme and finds it to be greatly deficient. Among the problems found are that the programme: (1) does not relinquish control over land including forest land; (2) retains unilateral decision making power over the use of forest resources; (3) imposes high financial costs for community participation; (4) is characterised by contradictions; (5) does not sufficiently divulge basic information about community forestry as a legal option; and (6) introduces management entities which are not adapted to local conditions. This paper argues that the entrenchment and perpetuation of State supremacy over land and forest resources, by successive land tenure and forestry sector reforms, constitutes a formidable obstacle to participatory management of forest resources. It recommends that, through a system of institution specific design, the land laws should be reformed in the direction of recognition of indigenous land rights and local communities given a real stake in the resources of community forests and recognised as fully-fledged partners in their management. 2000 2012-06-04T09:06:20Z 2012-06-04T09:06:20Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/18330 en Nforti, N.C. 2000. The community forestry program in Cameroon: a participatory management option? . CIFOR Carmeroon. Working Paper No.5. 47p.
spellingShingle forest resources
local people
community forestry
community involvement
management
Nforti, N.C.
The community forestry program in Cameroon: a participatory management option?
title The community forestry program in Cameroon: a participatory management option?
title_full The community forestry program in Cameroon: a participatory management option?
title_fullStr The community forestry program in Cameroon: a participatory management option?
title_full_unstemmed The community forestry program in Cameroon: a participatory management option?
title_short The community forestry program in Cameroon: a participatory management option?
title_sort community forestry program in cameroon a participatory management option
topic forest resources
local people
community forestry
community involvement
management
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/18330
work_keys_str_mv AT nfortinc thecommunityforestryprogramincameroonaparticipatorymanagementoption
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